Final Fantasy: The Next Generation
by Lulu the Great
Summary: Aya is a young girl who witnesses the death of her dear mother, and is determined to find her mother's killer. Little does she know the killer is trying to take over Yukatoshi, her father's kingdom. Can Aya find the killer before it's too late? R&R PLZ
1. Chapter 1

I'm still writing this story, so I only have chapters 1 and 2 done, but tell me what you think. I'll eventually have more chapters posted, and it's going to be a long story. Oh yeah..there's no title yet either. If you can think of a title email me.  
  
Chapter 1  
"Aya!" My mother called happily from the palace gates, as her voice echoed through the valley of Yukatoshi.  
"Yes, Mother?"  
I love my mother so much. She is always there when I need her. She has hair as black as the night, that is just halfway passed her chin, and her eyes are such a pretty coffee brown. Everyone tells me we look identical, and it makes me feel wonderful to hear such a compliment. The way she walks is always so smooth and graceful; she looks like an angel from heaven.  
"Aya dear, would you fetch me my parasol? The sun's rays are ever so hot."  
"Of course," I said with a smile on my face as I walked to our palace, my red and black-flowered kimono flowing as I walked. Just as I reached my mother's room, and grabbed for the parasol a large bang sounded from outside. Startled and afraid I raced to the palace gates. "Mother!" I cried as I dashed out of the palace.  
When I reached the gates, the scene was unbearable. There my mother laid, crimson red blood oozing from her stomach. Crystal-like tear drops began racing down my cheeks. I could not believe my eyes. Here my mother lay dying. It was as if my whole world came crashing down on me like a ton of bricks.  
My voice trembling I asked, "Mother, what happened?" Just as I asked my question, my father came rushing out. Having looked at the scene, his dark brown eyes began to fill with tears.  
"I-I was shot," My mother said as she struggled to get the sentence out of her mouth.  
"Mother?" My sister, Sakura, asked as she came up from behind me. As Sakura studied my mother I could see it in her eyes; pain and grief.  
"Who did this to you?" My father asked.  
"Some wo-man," Mother had said, but then there was a brief moment of silence.  
Worried, Father said, "Jun?" There was no response, for it was too late. My mother's soul had already drifted into another world. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Tear drops falling from my face, I lay crying on my silk covered bed. My sister came walking into the room.  
"Aya?" Sakura said as she tied her silky long, jet-black hair into a ponytail.  
"Why? Why?" I began asking myself.  
Sitting down beside where I lay Sakura said calmly, "Look, I know Mother's death is heartbreaking to you. It's heartbreaking to all of us, but Mother's soul now rests in a better place."  
"But this was not supposed to happen! Mother was supposed to be here with us! Not in some other world! Oh I hate whoever did this to Mother! That person deserves a piece of my mind! I hope the person dies a more painful death than Mother did!"  
"Aya calm down," Sakura said softly as she stroked my hair, her fingers running smoothly through each strand, "Mother hasn't completely left us. She's always watching us from the silver-linen clouds. Her voice is in the turtle dove's songs, and her walks are always in those of a beautiful crane's. She is in the trees and the flowers. Why Mother is everywhere we look. Besides, you are twelve years old, and I fifteen, therefore we are too young to be sulking the rest of our lives away. Mother wouldn't be happy if we kept crying."  
"I guess you're right, but I still want to know who killed Mother."  
"I know you do, and so do I. Listen, I have an idea. I heard about this woman who teaches all sorts of magic. Maybe she can teach us and then we can find out who killed Mother. Her name is Madame Leu and she lives in Haisama, which is about two miles outside of the town square. What do you say?"  
"Okay! When do we go?" I said sounding more anxious than ever. There was no hesitance in my reply, for I wanted to find out badly who killed Mother.  
With a smile on her face, and a soft glow in her eyes as she looked at me, Sakura said, "We shall go to Haisama tomorrow, but we mustn't tell father. He would be very frightened if he found out."  
"Don't worry. I won't tell."  
"Good," Sakura said proudly, and she walked out the room. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
"Psst. Aya," Sakura whispered into my ears as my sleepy eyes began to open. It is six in the morning and I am not a morning person.  
"Sakura?"  
"Yes, it's me. Get up. Today is the day you've been waiting for. We're going to go see Madame Leu, remember?"  
"Oh, yes! Of course I remember!" I shouted out of excitement.  
"Shh! We mustn't wake up Father!" Sakura said in a loud whisper.  
"Oops. Sorry."  
I hopped out of bed and bathed and clothed myself. I decided to wear my blue and silver kimono. After I was ready, I met Sakura at the palace gates.  
"Ready?" Sakura asked with a smile.  
"Uh-huh," I said, and we trotted off to Haisama.  
We passed through the still-sleepy Yukatoshi town square, and stepped through the tall green blades of grass. After thirty minutes had passed, we reached Haisama. It looked like a friendly little quaint town, and buildings were decorated with strung lights and ornaments.  
"Wow," I said in awe, "this seems like a neat little town."  
Looking up at all the decorations Sakura said, "It sure does."  
"So where is Madame Leu?"  
"She's in a small little house behind the markets." We then walked passed the markets until we came upon five houses surrounded by a patch of trees.  
"So which house is Madame Leu's?" I asked.  
Sakura replied, "Her house should be the one in the middle." I quickly ran up to the house and knocked on the door. Madame Leu's house is just like all the others- strung lights and ornaments hung from her house.  
Slowly opening the door, Madame Leu said, "Hello, you must be Aya, and you," she said looking at my sister, "must be Sakura."  
Madame Leu is about five feet and five inches tall, and is slightly plump but not too much. She wears a dark blue kimono with white flowers- magnolias- all around. Her shiny black hair is in a bun, and there isn't a single strand of grey hair to be found. Madame Leu is ninety-five years old, but she remarkably looks sixty-five.  
Gazing into Madame Leu's brown eyes I said, "We came to see if you can help us find our mother's killer. Maybe you can teach us some magic, and when we're ready we can search for the killer."  
"Oh, very well then," Madame Leu said, "Come in."  
"Thank you," said Sakura.  
"Would you girls like some tea?"  
"No thank you," Sakura replied.  
"I'm fine," I said.  
"Very well then," Madame Leu said, "Sit down and tell Madame Leu everything." I then told her about the death of Mother and what had happened.  
"Oh you poor children," Madame Leu said with sad eyes, "Wait! I'm receiving a vision. It's something about someone trying to take over a kingdom. Yu-, Yuka-"  
"Yukatoshi!" I exclaimed, as Sakura gasped. "That's our kingdom."  
"Oh, Child," Madame Leu said with bright eyes, "the Heavens are telling me that you are going to be a remarkable girl. You may not see it now, but in a couple of years you will," she said as she placed her right hand onto my forehead with her eyes closed, "Close your eyes Child."  
"Okay," I said, feeling a little confused.  
"This is exactly what I had suspected. It is white magic and origami magic. I am entrusting you with this Aya. You must only use this for good, and never for evil."  
"Well I know what white magic is, but what's origami magic?" I asked in a confused voice.  
"Origami magic is when you make an object out of paper and you bring it to life using your magical abilities. With this magic you can create all sorts of things and make them attack your enemies," Madame Leu said with a little laugh.  
"Oh cool!" I said an excited voice. "Don't worry, I won't misuse my magic."  
"Good. Now for Sakura," Madame Leu said as she placed her right hand onto Sakura's forehead, "Close your eyes. Ah, blue magic and green magic it is. Can I trust you?"  
"Of course, but what are they?" Sakura asked.  
"Blue magic is associated with magic that involves water. However shadow is an exception. Shadow lets you mimic a person to make you immune to that person's magic, and green magic is used to heal injured people. Now although you girls have all these powers, you are not quite ready to use them. Therefore, you two must come to me as much as possible so I can teach you."  
"All right," Sakura and I said at once. We then thanked Madame Leu, and bade her farewell. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Three years had passed, and Sakura and I had been doing exceptionally well with our magic skills. Things had also changed. There had been more crimes than we had imagined. Yukatoshi hadn't been the same since the death of my mother. It seemed as if an evil dark shadow swept over the kingdom, and the people became possessed. Father didn't seem so happy either, until recently. I wonder why.  
"Aya, it's time for tea!" Sakura called from the distance, as I stood looking through the palace gates at the once beautiful valley.  
I followed Sakura to the tea room, and there Father was sitting at the mahogany knee-high table, looking happier than ever. The servants placed four cups of tea onto the table. Sakura and I exchanged confused looks. Why had the servants placed four cups instead of three? Sakura and I sat next to each other.  
"Who's the extra cup of tea for, Father?" I asked.  
Excited, Father said, "I'm glad you asked that, because I have a surprise for you. Katana!"  
"Katana?" Sakura and I said at once.  
A tall slender woman stepped into the room. She had long black hair with some of it in a round bun. She wore a royal blue kimono with a touch of magenta on the collar, the ends of the sleeves, the obi, and on the bottom of the kimono. There was something about her that made me uncomfortable. When I looked into her eyes, a chill ran down my spine.  
"Hello girls," Katana said with a grin.  
"Katana, I'd like you to meet my daughters, Aya and Sakura," Father said pointing at the two of us.  
"Why it's a pleasure to meet you girls. Your father has told me so much about you two," said Katana, as she sat next to Father.  
"Girls," Father said as he stared at Sakura and me, "Katana and I are getting married."  
Furious I yelled, "What?!"  
Looking at me Father said, "Aya, calm down."  
"You," I said with my finger pointing at Katana, "will never be my mother! You are nothing but an imbecile!" I then left the table and ran to my room.  
"Aya!" called Father, as he was about to get up.  
"No, Father," Sakura said with a calm voice, "I'll handle this." Sakura removed herself from the table and ran after me.  
I leaped onto my bed with tears trickling down my cheeks. As I looked outside, rain began to fall from the gray sky. The raindrops pattered against the window pane. I leaned against my window sill looking out.  
"Why me?" I said crying harder than ever.  
In a calm voice standing behind me, Sakura said, "Aya." She then gave me a hug, as tears raced down her cheeks.  
"Sakura," I whispered, "I don't want to hurt any more."  
"I know Aya. I know. I don't want to hurt any more either."  
"I'm going to go see Madame Leu first thing in the morning, because I can't deal with this any more. I want to find out who killed mother now."  
"Me too," said Sakura, "That's why I'm going with you."  
  
That following morning, when the rain had stopped, Sakura and I left for Madame Leu's. When we arrived at her house we quickly knocked on the door. When no one answered the door on the third knock, Sakura and I began to worry. Just then, a townsman came up to us.  
"Are you two Aya and Sakura?" asked the townsman.  
"Yes," I replied.  
"Madame Leu told me to give you this note," he said as he handed it to me, "Madame Leu passed away just yesterday. She was very ill. She wrote this note just before she died. I'm sorry I had to bring up such terrible news."  
Tears began to swell up in my eyes as the man walked away. I looked at Sakura and noticed that she, too, was crying. I clung to Sakura as tears fell from my eyes like a waterfall. I then opened the note and began to read it. The note read: My time has come and now it is time for you to begin your journey. I may be gone from this earth, but I will help guide you on your path, and I will  
always be with you in your heart and soul forever.  
I folded the note back up as tears continued to fall down my cheeks. I looked at Sakura with an are-you-ready look, and she responded back with a let's-do-it look. It was then that we finally began our long journey-a journey in which we would one day find our mother's killer. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
It had been several hours since Sakura and I left home, and night had already blanketed the sky. Just then we noticed a city just ahead of us. As we drew closer to it, I was amazed at all the tall buildings with beaming lights shining through the windows and from the tall lamp posts. There were tons of signs with flashing lights, and I could tell we were entering a metropolitan area- not like Yukatoshi. As we entered through the gates that read Myoto, a woman stepped in front of Sakura and me.  
The woman had long, shiny black hair and a deep set of brown eyes. She wore a black, double layered tank top with a belt just below her bust, and she had on black shorts with a belt that was partially buckled. She also had on black boots, and on her right thigh there was a tattoo that wrapped around like a vine, and on her upper left arm there was a "K" tattooed on it. As I looked into her eyes, I noticed she looked familiar. I just couldn't quite figure out why.  
"Well now," said the woman, "why are you girls out this late? Isn't it passed your bedtime? How old are you girls anyways?"  
Looking at the woman I said, "I'm Aya and I'm fifteen, and this is my sister, Sakura. She's eighteen."  
"Interesting. Why are you girls out here at this time of night? Don't you know how dangerous it is these days?"  
"Well, you see," I began, "Sakura and I are the daughters of Heiroto, emperor of Yukatoshi. Our mother was mysteriously killed and now we're trying to find out who killed her."  
"Oh," said the woman as tears began to swell up in her eyes.  
In a concerned voice, Sakura asked, "What's wrong?"  
"I'm in the same position, only I'm trying to find out who killed my father. You see, when I was three my mother left my father and me, and when I was five my father was mysteriously killed. I was then sent to live with my aunt for the rest of my childhood. It was because of my father's death that I chose to become a cop."  
"Wow," I said stunned. "Well, how old are you now?"  
"Aya! You don't ask adults their age! That's impolite!" snapped Sakura.  
Laughing, the woman said, "It's okay. The name's Kai, and I'm twenty- two. I've been a cop since nineteen."  
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you," I said as I extended out my right arm, waiting for Kai to shake my hand.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you girls, as well," Kai responded, shaking my hand.  
"Well, we had better get going," replied Sakura.  
"Yeah, we have a long day ahead of us," I said.  
"Wait!" Kai called out to us as we began to leave, "Maybe I can help you guys. You don't mind, do you?"  
"Of course not," I replied. "We can use all the help we need."  
"Great," Kai said with a smile and we continued into the night. 


End file.
